Titre du document / Document title

Autoimmunity, environmental exposure and vaccination: is there a link?

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

RAVEL G. ^{(1 2)} ; CHRIST M. ⁽¹⁾ ; HORAND F. ⁽¹⁾ ; DESCOTES J. ⁽²⁾ ;

Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)

⁽¹⁾ MDS Phamia Services, 69210 St Germain sur l'Arbresle, FRANCE
⁽²⁾ Poison Center and INSERM U503, E. Herriot Hospital, 69437 Lyon, FRANCE

Résumé / Abstract

Although the wide clinical experience shows that vaccines are generally safe, concern has been expressed for a causal link between vaccines and autoimmune diseases. Even though the mechanisms of autoimmunity are ill-elucidated, the role of pre-existing risk factors including genetic predisposition and environmental factors is largely accepted. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that vaccines can promote autoimmunity in genetically-prone individuals when simultaneously exposed to a chemical known to induce autoimmune reactions. Female lupus-prone (NZB x NZW) F₁ mice were given I μg or 10 μg of a hepatitis B vaccine at 2-week intervals in conjunction with 40 μg of mercuric chloride three times per week for 6 weeks. A marked increase in serum IgG levels and a slight increase in anti-nuclear autoantibody (ANA) levels were seen in the mice given 10 μg of the vaccine plus mercuric chloride. No straightforward conclusion can be drawn from these results because of the extreme experimental conditions of this study. Nevertheless, the results tend to support the hypothesis that vaccination could enhance the risk of autoimmunity in genetically susceptible individuals when exposed to certain environmental chemicals.

Revue / Journal Title

Toxicology   ISSN 0300-483X   CODEN TXICDD 

Source / Source

2004, vol. 196, n^o3, pp. 211-216 [6 page(s) (article)] (22 ref.)

Langue / Language

Anglais

Editeur / Publisher

Elsevier Science, Shannon, IRLANDE  (1973) (Revue)

Mots-clés anglais / English Keywords

Infection ; Viral disease ; Hepatic disease ; Digestive diseases ; Vertebrata ; Mammalia ; Rodentia ; Genetics ; Predisposition ; Human ; Toxicity ; Viral hepatitis B ; Risk factor ; Animal ; Animal model ; Mouse ; Prevention ; Immunoprophylaxis ; Vaccination ; Exposure ; Environment ; Autoimmunity ;

Mots-clés français / French Keywords

Infection ; Virose ; Foie pathologie ; Appareil digestif pathologie ; Vertebrata ; Mammalia ; Rodentia ; Génétique ; Prédisposition ; Homme ; Toxicité ; Hépatite virale B ; Facteur risque ; Animal ; Modèle animal ; Souris ; Prévention ; Immunoprophylaxie ; Vaccination ; Exposition ; Environnement ; Autoimmunité ;

Mots-clés espagnols / Spanish Keywords

Infección ; Virosis ; Hígado patología ; Aparato digestivo patología ; Vertebrata ; Mammalia ; Rodentia ; Genética ; Predisposición ; Hombre ; Toxicidad ; Hepatitis vírica B ; Factor riesgo ; Animal ; Modelo animal ; Ratón ; Prevención ; Inmunoprofilaxia ; Vacunación ; Exposición ; Medio ambiente ; Autoinmunidad ;

Mots-clés d'auteur / Author Keywords

Hepatitis B vaccine ; Autoimmunity ; (NZB x NZW) F1 mice ; Risk factors ;

Localisation / Location

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 15984, 35400011655652.0040